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Walton Ford
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Bill Buford
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Walton Ford: Pancha Tantra Hardcover – Download: Adobe Reader, September 1, 2009

English Edition by Bill Buford (Author), Walton Ford (Author)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 79 ratings
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Walton Ford: Pancha Tantra
Walton Ford: Pancha Tantra
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The sinister majesty of Walton Ford's wildlife At first glance, Walton Ford’s large-scale, highly-detailed watercolors of animals may recall the prints of 19th century illustrators John James Audubon and Edward Lear, and others of the colonial era. But a closer look reveals a complex and disturbingly anthropomorphic universe, full of symbols, sly jokes, and allusions to the 'operatic' nature of traditional natural history themes. The beasts and birds populating this contemporary artist's life-size paintings are never mere objects, but dynamic actors in allegorical struggles: a wild turkey crushes a small parrot in its claw; a troupe of monkeys wreak havoc on a formal dinner table, an American buffalo is surrounded by bloodied white wolves. The book's title derives from The Pancha Tantra, an ancient Indian book of animal tales considered the precursor to Aesop’s Fables.

This large-format edition includes an in-depth exploration of Walton Ford’s oeuvre, a complete biography, and excerpts from his textual inspirations: Vietnamese folktales and the letters of Benjamin Franklin, the Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini and Audubon’s Ornithological Biography.

First published in TASCHEN's limited collector's edition — now available in this popular hardcover edition!
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English, French, German
  3. Publisher
    Taschen America Llc
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    11.5 x 1.75 x 15 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    3822852376
  7. ISBN-13
    978-3822852378
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Buford is an author and New Yorker staff writer, as well as the founding editor of Granta, which he edited for 16 years. His books include Among the Thugs and Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as a Kitchen Slave. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.

Walton Ford, born 1960 in Larchmont, NY, graduated in filmmaking from RISD, but switched to large-scale watercolor painting. His work has been widely exhibited, including shows at the Whitney and Brooklyn museums. He lives and works in Massachusetts.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Taschen America Llc (September 1, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English, French, German
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 3822852376
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3822852378
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.5 x 1.75 x 15 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

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  1. Walton Ford

    Walton Ford

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Walton Ford, born 1960 in Larchmont, NY, graduated in filmmaking from RISD, but switched to large-scale watercolor painting. His work has been widely exhibited, including shows at the Whitney and Brooklyn museums. He lives and works in Massachusetts.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Bill Buford

    Bill Buford

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Bill Buford was the fiction editor of the New Yorker for eight years, where he first came upon Walton Ford's work to illustrate some of the stories he published. He is now a New Yorker staff writer. He was also the founding editor of Granta and has written two books, Among the Thugs and Heat: An Amateur's Advantures as a Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany. He lives in New York City with his wife Jessica Green, and their two sons.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
79 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Walton Ford, an artist to relish & feast of a monograph
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2023
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Exquisite! Worth every penny. I am very please with purchase and condition upon receipt.
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Daniel Clode
5.0 out of 5 stars The 2009 Art Book of the Year
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2010
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This book at 15 inches tall is packed full of reproductions of panoramic wildlife paintings by Walton Ford. Ford is what you might loosely call a naturalist - a painter of nature with an old fashioned sense of fidelity to the anatomical proportions and whiskered details of God's creations. On top of that he is a fantasy artist who flings his animal subjects into crazy social situations of mischief, conflict and comic chaos. While some of the scenes he paints involve implausible situations, he gives the animals a credible sense of character. Vengeance, humour, calculation - these are just a few of the thought processes infused into the faces and the gestures of these animated beasts.

The original artworks reproduced in this book are monstrous large, with many of the animals (alligators, great apes, tigers etcetera) at least as large as life. Prize of the herd in this book may be the multi-panel painting of a male elephant on heat, titled Nila. At 3.66 metres tall x 5.49 wide, the original artwork is quite literally the size of a young elephant. Playing upon the intimidating size and power of many of these wild animals, Ford often paints them in situations of victory over man. A painting dated 1596 shows a lumbering polar bear triumphant over the bones and personal effects of an explorer, while in the background a shattered sailing ship creaks against an arctic shore.

Also unusual is that these works are all watercolours, painted onto huge sheets of paper. Watercolour normally lends itself to modest, even miniature work, because of the difficulty of handling the medium across large surfaces without washes drying in inconvenient places. Furthermore watercolour on paper is unforgiving when mistakes are made and the consequences of the risks are greater when the painting is on a gigantic scale. Ford works skilfully in the medium making heavy use of the "dry brush" technique - a method that avoids bleeding, helps keep brush lines precise and allows the overlay of variegated colour (for instance to paint a mass of silky fur).

To admire the original massive works, which can cover whole gallery walls, viewers would need to stand several metres back. Ford aides the viewer with some sharp linework, a technique has a secondary benefit of allowing the works to reproduce wonderfully well in book format. Pancha Tantra includes a nice mix of cropped close-ups bled to the edge of the page - allowing us to study the overlay of wash and brushstrokes, with long shots of whole works - at a size where we can still appreciate the fine detail. On my count this book displays 72 artworks on single pages and a further 41 spread across double pages. In addition there are 43 pages with crops of interesting details, plus 17 double pages devoted to cropped highlights. Some artworks have several pages devoted to them, including the wide shot and multiple close-ups.

The background washes on Ford's paintings include mock mould spotting and branching mildew, to make the paintings look ambiguously like nineteenth century prints. At first glimpse the effect is deceptive. But these artworks are far more lively than conventional stiff animal portraits. And the wit and allegory packed into some of the works can make the viewer do a double-take. While these images are show beautiful beasts and colourful fauna, the situations depicted include some moments of drama and visceral brutality.

The only disappointment to this book is the absence of any chapter on Ford's working methods or career story. There is only a two page basic `Biography' that includes a chronology of exhibitions, awards and references to previous media stories on the artist. Perhaps the Collector's Edition with its additional 34 pages has a more rounded biographical treatment? Maybe I'll have to save for it and find out!

This book provides a marvellous folio of artworks to the mass market and does this at an agreeable price. Many of the main competitors to Taschen would have charged at least twice this price for a book this scale. The post-release price won't last and shouldn't last, it is too good to be true for a book of this size and quality. This is an abridged version of my full review on Art Book News at blogspot.

Book specs: Hardcover 320 pages, 15 x 11.4 inches, 173 colour illustrations (across 231 pages)
34 people found this helpful
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M. L. Cowles
5.0 out of 5 stars LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED PANCHA TANTRA
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2010
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A beautifully illustrated book that will bring enlightenment to anyone who enjoys beautiful art and thoughtful text. This book is really big and full of colorful water color paintings in the style of the classic Audubon jumbo portfolio.
Many animals now exticnt and others which are on the way to extinction are posed in sometimes disturbing situations that makes one realize how fragile our planet is. Thought provoking, timeless and sure to be a favorite, many hours will be spent inspecting the details of the art and reading the fascinating text.
The Passenger Pigeon is one example of how this artist has managed to illustrate how all life is so precious. His painting of a strong tree limb breaking under the weight of millions of these birds is followed by a text that shows the very last bird named Martha, stuffed and put under glass on display in the Smithsonian Institution ... commented on by John James Audubon, himself, at the tragedy of it all.
My book, ordered through Amazon arrived badly damaged from a over sized box without sufficient packing. I sent it back and ordered another. While the second book arrived in better condition, it was still slammed around and the corners of this hard bound edition were still bent. I wish that Amazon would take better care in the packaging before sending out these books.
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Scott Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars Big book, nice reproductions, great price
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2010
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I was expecting a great book but this exceeded my expectations. It is large, with a great cover, and nicely reproduced illustrations inside. My only complaint is that the large paintings are placed in spreads with the gutter dividing the image in half. It would have been better to have gate folds so the entire painting could be viewed on one page. But that is probably too much to expect for a book of this price. On the positive side, the book is not bound overly tight so the spreads do open so you get a good view of the work (books bound too tightly obscure imagery in the gutter).

In addition to Ford's paintings there are quite a few of his prints, which I had never seen before. They are remarkably similar to Audubon prints (with a bizarre twist, of course). There are excellent close-ups of nearly every image and the collection seems like a nice overview of Ford's work. I haven't read the text yet but plan to do so soon, but suffice it so say that the text doesn't overwhelm the visuals.

In short, it is a great book at a great price.
6 people found this helpful
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Juan Elizalde Ch
5.0 out of 5 stars ESPECTACULAR!
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2010
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*Es un libro maravilloso, digno de un maestro lo cual Ford lo evidencia con sus acuarelas magistrales. Vale la pena adquirirlo y apreciar la calidad del trabajo de este artista. El formato del libro, la calidad de las hojas y la impresión son de primera. Hay bastantes close ups que ocupan toda la página. El libro me llegó en excelentes condiciones y en el tiempo indicado. Gracias Amazon

*It's a fascinating book, worthy of a great master which is evidenced by Ford with its skillfull watercolors. I think I made an excelent buy and I really appreciate the quality of work of this artist. The format of the book, the quality of the paper and printing are first rate. There are several close ups (full page). The book reached me in excellent condition and at the right time. Thanks Amazon
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Mevlinn Gusick
5.0 out of 5 stars Huge Book, Amazing Deal
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2011
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I purchased this book at first simply because it was the only book I could find on Walton Ford. When it came in the mail the box it was in weighed a ton. I soon realized how much of a mammoth it was. The book is huge, the pages are huge, the images are huge. It gives you the chance to sea Ford's work in stunning detail. A must buy for the price it is offered. More like a steal.

The only drawback on this book I found was the lack of explanation as to what the images mean, there are references to certain texts and stories near the back but it would of been neat to get more details.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Luca
5.0 out of 5 stars Pancha tantra santa tierra
Reviewed in Italy on April 30, 2019
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Più che un libro un pezzo d'arredo!
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natasha
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnifique
Reviewed in France on July 4, 2017
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J'adore ! Grand format, les illustrations sont canons... je pensais que c'était vintage mais en fait c'est un artiste de notre époque.. son travail est espiègle et vraiment beau
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EisNinE
5.0 out of 5 stars The Master Unaturalist
Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2012
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This collection of Ford's large-scale paintings covers most of his work from the past 20 years. It is amazing how consistent his vision has remained over this period, owing not to artistic stagnancy, but instead to a passionate vision that is both unique and powerful. The comparison made by one reviewer is that Walton Ford's large-scale watercolors resemble a meeting of J.J. Audubon and Hieronymus Bosch, and I would say it's very apt. In the world of modern contemporary art Ford is something of a pleasant anomaly, making art that is accessible and thought-provoking, incorporating elements from the masters of the Renaissance, the Baroque period, the Surrealists and, of course, Audubon, to make something that still feels very original. Thankfully, Taschen has released a book that is worthy of the art it depicts; It a huge tome, weighing in around 3.5 kg, 350 pages long, about 12" wide by 16" tall, and is printed on a thick, semi-glossy paper stock. 'Pancha Tantra' is the perfect showcase for one of the world's best living artists, at a price that is shockingly affordable... I've paid literally three times as much for books of this quality.

Compared with his last monograph, the well-designed but slim 'Tigers of Wrath, Horses of Instruction' -- which is only about 80 pages long and features much smaller reproductions, making details hard to examine -- 'Pancha Tantra' feels like a treasure trove of art, every page revealing another incredible, stunning work. As the paintings are presented in chronological order, the reader becomes a kind of naturalist, following the evolutionary development of Ford's vision, as various birds and mammals take on complex metaphorical significance. The European Starling becomes his favorite ornithological avatar, taking on it's tiny wings the weight of English colonialism in the 18th and 19th century. It reappears again and again, in oriental and African locales it doesn't belong, singing in a Rhino's ear, harassing an elephant already in a frenzied state of must, and blown up to fantastic dimensions, fed ridiculous amounts by dozens of other species, all indentured to it's oppressive bulk, dedicated entirely to further fattening a bloated empire.

His newer works move away from predominantly depicting birds, just as Audubon moved on to his less famous 'Quadrupeds of North America' after completing the 'Birds of America'. His scope becomes wider, taking in the entire history of humanity's relationship with the animal kingdom. They have been our nightmares, hunting us in the darkness before we discovered the Promethean qualities of flint, and mastered both fire and spear-point. They've also been our gods -- the Egyptian pantheon in particular, with the cat-headed Bast, jackal-headed Anubis, and falcon-headed Horus perhaps being indicative of our earliest deities, as are the totem-gods of the Native American peoples. And then they became a living resource around which our lives revolved, depending on cattle as the Masai tribe still does, or as the Huns and Mongols and the other Steppe nomads once relied on the horse (worshiping a primitive horse-god, making alcoholic beverages from fermented horse-milk, hunting and conquering on horseback, going so far as to drink their mounts' blood and urine when water was unavailable; and when they died, eating them, using their skins for warmth and finding purpose for every part of their anatomy). Dogs and cats have been loved as family members for thousands of years, even as their wild cousins, wolves and tigers, have been cursed as mankillers and pests that slaughter livestock, hunted to near extinction.

There are few artists who are so clear-eyed in their vision, and whose talent and intrinsic value is so evident. His ambitious course is charted in great detail, but besides a brief introduction, critical essays are omitted, are perhaps unnecessary. What is included is a fascinating appendix which provides annotations by the artist on various paintings, as well as some of the many texts that Ford uses as starting points, providing factual, historical and mythical foundations to build upon. 'Pancha Tantra' is essential and endlessly rewarding; I don't know how many times I've gone back to it, and will continue to go back to it. Among the hundreds of art-books in my collection, this is certainly my favorite.
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Trine Solvig
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!
Reviewed in Germany on September 12, 2013
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Beautiful pictures - absolutely love it! A large collection of Walton Fords animal scenarios. You will definitely not be disappointed!
3 people found this helpful
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Mrs. Carolyn Ching
5.0 out of 5 stars Great discovery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2009
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Walton Ford is an extraordinary, imaginative US artist whose work is not very well known in the UK, but who paints major murals and fascinating works of great profundity. Although he depicts animals, he is not a wildlife artist. His work has a brooding intensity and is often floridly sinister or darkly humorous, showing animals engaged in human activities or living as humans, or grappling with nature, red in tooth and claw. The backgrounds to his paintings are exquisitly poignant. Riveting work - but not for the sentimental animal lover.
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